Sureños (Spanish for "Southerners") are a group of Mexican American street gangs with origins in the oldest barrios of Southern California. There are hundreds of Sureño gangs in California, and each has its own identity on the streets.[citation needed] Although they are based in Southern California, their influence has spread to many parts of the US and other countries as well.[citation needed] The gang's alleged roots came from a jail dispute between the Mexican Mafia (La Eme) and Nuestra Familia (NF).[citation needed] Those that sided with the NF aligned themselves in Northern California (norteños=northerners). Norteños appear mostly in the northern areas of California, but are also present in numbers in western states like Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and Utah. Besides Southern California, Sureños can be found in more than 20 states (primarily in southwestern, central states) and small presence in Central California, and Northern California. The largest population of Sureños can be found in Southern California, specifically in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, and the Inland Empire region. Norteños appear mostly in the northern areas of California, and also in southwestern and central states.

- History -

The term "Sureños” meaning Southerner in Spanish. Sureño (male) Sureña (female) are the basics on what they are separated by. They originated from Southern California prison and made their way through "barrios"(hoods/neighborhoods).The Sureños identify with the color blue which comes from days past when the prisons offered two standard colors of bandanas, blue and red. Their enemies are Norteños (Northerners) and have been at war since the beginning. The term was first used in the 1960s as a result of a California prison war between the Mexican Mafia (La Eme) and Nuestra Familia (NF). This war resulted in a territorial division between gang members from norteño (northern) California who aligned with NF, and those from southern California aligned with La Eme. As Eme members paroled to the streets, they were tasked with creating new cells to help facilitate more crime. In addition, paroled members explained the North versus South war occurring in prison to the young street gang members. The youngsters were told that when they did enter the prison system that they should align themselves with the other Surenos. The term Sureno was soon adopted by Hispanic street gang members throughout Southern California. Sureño gangs are easy to identify since they have a 13 at the end of the gangs name. Gangs like MS 13, Florencia 13, PlayBoys 13, White Fence 13, Sureños are located all over California and Southern Oklahoma and are now making their way to Texas and Chicago.